Automatic liquid-supply means for water tanks of air washers



c. L. BURGE AUTOMATIC LIQUID SUPPLY MEANS FOR WATER TANKS OF AIR WASHERS Filed June 2, 1924' bur -.1-

i 7//////I//////////A alwayszmaintain it in a-predetermined relar- Patented May 25, 1926. i

CEARIJES'L'. BU RG'EfOF LINCOLN, INDIANA.-

AUTOMATICLIQUID slJ PPliY MlEAfis FOKWA'IERTANKS or AIR WASHERS.

ApplicationnfiledaJune '2,v1924.1 Serial No. 217,355.

Tractors designed for farmxanch high-; way use, are commonly; provided with an washers for cleansing: -tl1e a1r taken into 111116 carbureter, so as-to removeany dust-land other foreign matter therefrom. 111a well known form of air: washer, :a 7 vertical; air inlet orstand pipe rises-intoea waterztank,-

a tubular air guide; closed at iits upper end and open-at its c-loweraend, slides freely over. said pipe, and a non carriessaid guide totion with the surface of the water regardless 1 of the amount inithetank; Tanl'rssofithis character must be filled by hand, whiclnise more or less troublesomei-andiis -t'requently necessary, particularly in hot dry weather, Wheni'the tractoris. being; operated upon dusty fields; It is theiobject of myinvention however: to provide-a novel water supply] means for the tank including a valve which is controlled by; the movement-of the-above: mentioned float, loweringaof saidwfloat serving to open the valve and supplyimor-e water tothe'tank', whereas:returnnof =said= float to a raised position, etiects closingio'fthe valve. and cuts oil thezsupply oii nvateruntil more is needed Thus, thetankot the. air washer may be supplied' front a=reservoir= carried by thetractor: and having, suliiient 1 volume to feed the washer foriquitesa long;(period-y of time-,fortinstance,- fon an entire day or. perhaps 1 several days.

lVith thet'oregoingvin:view, the invention resides in the novel'isubject mattertherein-r after described and claimed, the description being supplemented by i the accompanyingdrawing, I

Figure 1 is avertical sectional!view' partly, in elevation showing an, air washer improved in accordancenvith any-inventions Figure 2 is a horizontal sectionaliviewon line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure- 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing more particularly the Valve mechanism of the water supply line.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates the water tank of an air washer, which tank is provided at its bottom with a stand pipe 2 forming an air inlet, the top of said tank being formed with an outlet 3 which communicates with the air inlet of the carb-ureter (not shown). Sliding freely over the stand pipe 2, is an air guiding sleeve 4 which is open at its lower end but is provided at its upper end with a closure plate 5 Which is spaced a slight distance below'the upper extremity of the .sleeve. This air guiding sleeveis carriedmbya: float which is formed of two sections'6. rt/filling plug (not shown) is commonly; provided to lill. the tank with,

waterandthexlatter supports the fioatiG so as to maintain the lower end of the guide 4 at a predetermlned relation with the sur tace oi the water, so that the incoming air mustscontact with said waterhand deposit any'dust orv other foreignmatter with which it .may be laden.

In carrymg outthe preferred form of my; lnvention, 1 form a vertical opening 8 through an inwardly offset portion of the tankwall andia horizontal openingi) through saidiiwall at a point below the opening 8. Threaded through the opening 8 is a vertically disposed pipe section 10 which leads ton-valve housingll, which housing is connected'bya suitable piping 12 with .a water reservoir 13. Thepiping 12 is preferably provided with a manually controlled valve 1 1 and, Wlth a panmof septics or sumps 15.

lVithin the housing 11 I have shown a ball checkvalvelG which seatsrnormally against a suitable-seatfl'? o itcopper orothcr noncorrosive material, carried by the lower end 18 of said housing, which end may wellbe inithe form of a threaded plug carried by the-supper end of-the pipe 10. This pipe is alsol pret'erably provided with ia non-cor rosive lining l9, and within this lining, a vertical rod: 20 is freely and loosely sli'dable, said rodhaving an enlarged header disk 21: at its lower end, spaced downwardly from the pipe.

In the. preferred form of construction, I

place a gasket 22 upon *the substantially horizontal portion of the tank 1, through which .the-openingfi is formedfa sleeve 23 surrounds the pipelO and contacts with said gasket ,1 and anut 2 1 is threaded on said pipe in abutting relation with the upper end of the sleeve. This construction constitutes a leak-proof joint as well as eifectively bracing the pipe with respect to the tank.

In the opening 9, above referred to, I thread the outer end of the horizontal arm 25, which arm is preferably in the form of a short length of rod. Upon this rod, I

prefer to thread nuts 26 at the inner and outer sides of the tankwall and appropriate gaskets or washers 27 may be interposed between the wall, and the nuts, as shown. Upon the inner end of the rod or arm 25,

I have illustrated a collar 28 which may well be threaded thereon, and fulcrumed at 29 to this collar, an inclined lever 30 has been shown, which lever may well be formed of a length of stiif wire. The lower end of this lever is bent upwardly as indicated at "31 and engages the lower side of the head or enlargement 21, while the upper end of said lever is bent downwardly into arch form as indicated at 32 and contacts with the upper end of the air guiding sleeve 4-. It will thus be seen that the vertical movement of the float and the sleeve will control the lever 30 and that the latter will in turn control the rod and the valve 16.

Assuming that there is no water in the tank 1, when the tank 13 is filled, the sleeve 4: will then stand at a lowered position and the comparatively long, upper armof the lever will descend and cause the lower arm thereof to raise, thus forcing upwardly upon the rod 20 and holding the valve 16 in an open position. Thus, water from the tank 13 will run through the piping into the tank 1 and as the level rises in this tank, the float and the sleeve also rise, and by the time the water level has reached a pre determined extent, the lever has been moved out of engagement with the rod 20 so that the check valve 16 closes and cuts oil the water supply. As the water level recedes in the tank 1, due to evaporation by the air passing through the washer, the sleeve 4 lowers and operates the lever 30 to open the valve 16, so that the supply of water in the tank will be automatically replenished.

It will be seen from the foregoing that simple, inexpensive and eflicient means have been provided for carrying out the object of the invention and while the details disclosed are preferably followed, it is to be understood that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous modifications may be made.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a liquid tank, said tank having an upper portion of its wall inwardly olfset from the lower portion of said wall, said lower portion being formed with a horizontal opening and the part of the wall which connects said offset upper and lower portions being provided with a vertical opening, a vertical liquid supply pipe passing through said vertical opening and secured therein, a short horizontal rod passing through said horizontal opening adjacent the lower end of said pipe, nuts threaded on said rod and engaging the inner and outer sides of the wall to tightly secure said rod in place, a valve in said pipe adapted to close the passageway through the pipe and having an operating stem provided with a horizontal disk spaced downwardly from the lower end of the'pipe, an inclined lever fulcrumed near its lower end to the inner end of said rod, said lower end of the lever being turned upwardly and contacting with the lower side of said disk, the upper end of said lever being turned downwardly, and a float in the tank engaging said downwardly turned upper end of said lever.

2. In an automatic liquid supply means, a liquid tank, a float therein having an upstanding sleeve, and a top plate secured to said wall and surrounded thereby and in downwardly spaced relation with the upper end of the sleeve; a liquid supply valve discharging into said tank, and an operating lever for the aforesaid valve, said lever having a downwardly turned upper end resting on said top plate within the upper portion of said sleeve.

3. A device of the class described cone prising a water tank, a floattherein, a vertical water supply pipe extending into said tank and having a downwardly closing check valve, a stem within the lower portion of said pipe for raising said valve to open position, said stein having an enlarge ment at its lower end under said pipe, and an inclined lever fulcrumed in the tank, said lever having an upwardly turned lower end contacting with the lower side of said enlargement and having a downwardly turned upper end contacting with the upper side of the aforesaid float.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

CHARLES L. BURGE.

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